It Pays to be flexible
Published January 18, 2008 at 1:47 pm · Filed under Features
Flexible working environments are not just the preserve of large corporates. Increasingly, public sector and not for profit organisations are introducing more varied working practices and creative workplace designs.
One such is the AAT (Association of Accounting Technicians), which has just moved into new offices at 140 Aldersgate Street and implemented smarter working practices as part of an ambitious plan to more closely align its working practices with its business strategy.
One of the UK’s largest professional membership bodies with 108,000 members worldwide, the AAT decided that a change of location for its 150 staff and more flexible working practices were required if it was to support ongoing growth and planned development of services.
Working in conjunction with change management consultants Corpra and Essentia Design, the AAT decided to release the capital held in its previous freehold building for investment and relocate to a modern building that costs less to rent than the price of maintaining its former premises.
In addition to costs savings of £500,000 over the next 10 years, the move has brought greater organisational efficiency and a space saving of more than 3,000 square feet through the adoption of flexible working practices and an IT infrastructure designed to support mobility.
These changes are reflected in an office environment that facilitates collaboration and communication amongst employees. Everyone bar the Chief Executive now sits in an open plan area and there are more team-based working areas and more causal spaces for social interaction.
The choice of furniture, too, was made with business agility in mind. Vitra’s Joyn benches maximise the use of space and allow staff to expand or move project teams and work anywhere within the office. Low-level storage units maintain a feeling of open-ness.
